[ad_1]
[This is a sponsored article with HELP International School.]
Image this: You’re a secondary faculty pupil tasked with a volunteer venture. You and your group should work with a good NGO or social enterprise as a part of your course’s syllabus.
You choose an organisation and message their socials, drop them a professionally written electronic mail, and name the telephone numbers supplied on their website.
However you’re left ghosted. So, you attain out to dozens extra, solely to obtain one reply in the long run, simply barely in time earlier than the venture deadline.
There must be a better strategy to go about this, and that’s precisely what BRIDGE CONNECT goals to resolve.
The platform bridges the hole between the youth and NGOs find and securing significant volunteer alternatives.
Based by a bunch of Sixth Kind A-Degree college students from HELP Worldwide College in 2023, the group went on to bag RM50,000 from a enterprise capital agency and startup accelerator, 1337 Ventures, to pursue their venture as an precise enterprise.
Meet the group: The BRIDGE CONNECT group was based by eight Yr 12 college students who have been between 16 and 18 years outdated on the time. They’re Lee Ka Dong, Mia Lee Ying Ying, Skye Teh Xin Yee, Samitinjay De, Julianne Yap, Chong Mae Jian, Germaine Soo Jen Ning, and Katrina Ong Kai Qing.
Bridging the hole
Talking to Vulcan Put up, the scholars shared that the above downside was one thing they’ve confronted themselves, which impressed their conception of BRIDGE CONNECT.
Whereas constructing their platform, the HELP Worldwide College college students related with the Malaysian Basis for the Blind (MFB) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).
The organisations wanted assist creating Malay-to-English braille dictionaries that would profit round 70,000 blind and visually impaired individuals within the nation.
“They granted us a large alternative to help with the information entry stage for the primary braille dictionary in Malaysia,” shared Mae Jian.
Needing extra palms on deck for the tedious process, the group utilised their BRIDGE CONNECT platform to collect pupil volunteers.
By this expertise, the BRIDGE CONNECT group introduced their answer at their faculty’s Mission Goal Demo Day, which invited varied companions from business, together with 1337 Ventures, represented by its founder, Bikesh Lakhmichand.
It’s the ultimate take a look at of Mission Goal, a programme developed by HELP Worldwide College to teach its younger skills to suppose innovatively and foster an entrepreneurial mindset.
In an interview with BFM, Bikesh acknowledged that he was compelled to fund BRIDGE CONNECT after witnessing the group’s tenacity and enterprise acumen in constructing their platform.
“They proved to me that it wasn’t simply an thought for his or her faculty venture. They confirmed me that this was an precise downside, carried out surveys to indicate that folks wished their answer, after which constructed a web site on their very own with out spending a single dime,” recalled Bikesh.
He added that this course of was akin to how startups are created in the actual world, and believed that the venture may make an impression in society ought to it pan out as supposed.
“After receiving the funding, we’re working with Mr Bikesh to register us as an SDN BHD firm,” stated Germaine Soo. “Now, we’re within the course of of creating the official web site for BRIDGE CONNECT.”
The group shared that they’ve since utilised the funds to arrange BRIDGE CONNECT as an official enterprise. This contains the backend processes like hiring an organization secretary, registering the enterprise, and establishing a enterprise checking account.
They’ve additionally utilised the funds for on-ground advertising initiatives to drive consciousness about their answer.
Moreover, BRIDGE CONNECT is connecting pupil volunteers with different types of on-line volunteering comparable to managing social media channels for NGOs, writing articles, analysis, and extra. “That is to attain our aim of creating volunteering extra accessible to college students,” Katrina Ong stated.
Whereas the eight college students behind it is going to be shifting on to universities all over the world, they continue to be dedicated to constructing their platform, and might nonetheless achieve this because it’s operated totally on-line.
“We additionally hope to cross this venture on to our juniors in HELP Worldwide College by hiring them as interns to assist handle bodily occasions like workshops and cubicles,” added Katrina. “By doing so, we are able to foster this pupil volunteering group in Malaysia.”
In the meantime, the braille dictionary is at present in improvement and has accomplished its prototype stage as of Q1 2023, in accordance with The Star.
Constructing social entrepreneurs
The success of the BRIDGE CONNECT group might need been more durable to attain if not for Mission Goal.
A part of the college’s Sixth Kind (A-Ranges) programme since 2021, it’s a course at HELP Worldwide College the place college students be taught by the hands-on expertise of beginning a social enterprise. It goals to find college students’ untapped potential that goes past conventional coursework.
For context, conventional A-Ranges contain college students finding out as much as 4 topics. At HELP Worldwide College, college students get the choice to go the standard route, or pursue three topics alongside Mission Goal.
At Mission Goal, college students are guided by startup fundamentals like ideation, analysis, budgeting, product improvement, enterprise planning, advertising, and impression evaluation.
The programme works with consultants within the Malaysian startup scene, particularly 1337 Ventures’ Bikesh, NEXEA’s Justin Lim and Ben Lim, and ScaleUp’s Aaron Sarma.
College students even have the chance to collaborate with native entrepreneurs, giving them entry to first-hand insights and constructing their community.
The Mission Goal journey concludes with Demo Day, throughout which college students will pitch their options and exhibit how they will transition into real-world ventures.
Persevering with the success
BRIDGE CONNECT has impacted greater than its beneficiaries, as they’re additionally difficult societal beliefs that children who grew up in our digital world are overly pampered.
“Being from the present technology of prompt gratification, as these college students witness their tasks making an impression and as their seniors achieve recognition for his or her work, college students turn into intrinsically motivated to make their tasks successful,” shared Manmeet Kaur, Mission Goal Coordinator.
She elaborated, “As soon as they’re positioned in a secure surroundings, [and are] explicitly advised that it’s okay to fail, all college students are prepared to attempt one thing new and step outdoors their consolation zone.”
Now in its fourth cohort, HELP Worldwide College’s Sixth Kind will probably be accepting enrolments for his or her August 2024 cohort from now until July.
College students who’ve accomplished their GCSE, SPM, or equal are welcome to affix the programme and embark on the Mission Goal journey, which you’ll join right here.
Be taught extra about BRIDGE CONNECT right here, and HELP Worldwide College’s Sixth Kind right here.
Learn different education-related articles right here.
Featured Picture Credit score: HELP Worldwide College
[ad_2]
Source link
